2007 Triumph Tiger

Ain’t she a beauty!

I purchased my Tiger used from a gentleman residing in Mandeville, Louisiana. I found the bike on eBay and it was exactly what I wanted. The Tiger was completely redesigned in 2007 and contrary to its earlier iterations capable of both asphalt and dirt riding, this version is strictly a street bike. I bought a one way airline ticket and flew from Chicago to New Orleans on a Saturday morning, Thanksgiving weekend, in 2007. Austin, the owner, met me at the airport and we drove over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway to his home.

There was a leap of faith involved as I had not seen the bike before flying 1,000 miles on this late Fall day. I previously spoke with Austin on the phone (and even met him in Chicago while he was on a business trip) and he assured me the bike was perfect. He hit the clicker to the garage door and I waited for the bike to be revealed. And there she was as a smile spread across my face. She was perfect! I looked her over and took a spin around the area. I then gave him a stack of cash and I received the title, donned my gear and off I went.

I usually never ride interstate on a bike but I had 1,000 miles ahead of me and it was cold and getting colder up north. So I wanted to get home fast as possible. I made it to Jackson, Mississippi that Saturday afternoon before the rains started. And it rained pretty much the rest of the way. Miserable, frigid to the core ride… I’d stop for fuel every couple of hours and go in for a hot chocolate or coffee. There, my hands would shake so badly that I nearly spilled the drink on my rain suit. If it weren’t for the heated grips, I would have been screwed. On the bright side, the bike performed flawlessly and 48 hours later, she was in my garage. I’ve been very happy with her since.

Austin only owned the Tiger for 4 months and put 2,700 miles on it before turning her over to me. He was in pursuit of a BMW 1100. Despite the short ownership on his part, he loaded the Tiger with practically every accessory available. As I took ownership, the Tiger had:

Side panniers

Triumph tank bag

Triumph trunk bag

TOR exhaust with re-map

Center stand

Kaoko throttle lock

Touring windscreen

Auxiliary Powerlet socket

Heated grips

Fiamm AM-80S horn

Since the purchase, I’ve added:

Corbin leather seat and backrest

K&N TB-1005 air filter

GPS electrical outlet and RAM mount

SW-Motech mirror extenders

Formotion thermometer

Formotion compass

SW-Motech Alu-Rack

Coocase V28 topcase

Anodized aluminum clutch and break levers

Superlite 42 tooth rear sprocket

Anodized aluminum auxiliary rack lugs

Tiger airbrush on side cover plates

Braking STX83D front rotors

Braking TR03RID rear rotor

Two sidelight and license plate LED bulbs

Denali DM LED auxiliary running lamps

MFW Vario rider footpegs

Palmer Products screen adapter kit

What do I like about the Tiger? Since that’s a very long list, it’s easier to say what I think should be improved:

Even with the taller touring windscreen, I get hit right in the face from the wind and rain. I’m 6 foot 2 inches so I’m high in the saddle but still, the windscreen is inadequate.

Front suspension is too soft, even on its firmest setting.

Low beam is terrible! Even with high beam, the bike fails to light up the road. If you plan on riding distance at night, auxiliary lamps are a must.